Do you ever wonder what kinds of questions flood the inbox of a professional organizer?

Whether I’m working out of my Ann Arbor, Michigan office or my office in Waco, Texas the questions are very similar.

And one question I hear over and over is this,

“Holly, I am so excited about getting my home organized. But my husband isn’t on board. What can I do?”

First – congratulations on being ready to tackle the organization of your home. What a great decision!

And ouch! It’s so tough to be excited about corralling the clutter and finding organizing solutions … only to discover you might be on a solo mission!

When husbands aren’t on board I find it’s typically one of three scenarios:

Scenario #1: your husband wants an organized home but doesn’t want you to invest in an organizer or organizing course or system. Either he doesn’t want to spend the money, or he thinks you ought to be able to handle this on your own (or with his help).

Scenario #2: your husband wants an organized home and thinks it’s great for you to be organized and have a more beautiful home as a result. However, he has zero interest in getting his stuff managed or helping you get things under control.

Scenario #3: your husband doesn’t care whether or not your home is organized.

Today I want to focus on the first scenario (we’ll tackle the second and third ones in a future post).

Here are some talking points to use with your guy if he’s resisting the idea of you hiring a professional organizer.

We hire other experts. Why not an organizer?

No one would expect you to know how to change your own oil, file complicated tax returns, make home repairs, sew your own clothing, cut your own hair, perform your own medical procedures … well, you get my drift.

Professional organizers are experts at uncovering organizational problems, diagnosing systems and routines that aren’t working, creating a clean slate, and then teaching and transferring tips, techniques, and tactics to homeowners and their families so they can maintain their newly organized space.

And there’s this to consider: a professional organizer can accomplish in six hours what it might take you six months to complete.

It’s super easy to get overwhelmed and distracted.

When faced with a chore that seems monumental, or an entire house that needs organizing, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It takes three times as long to get tasks completed (if you complete them at all), leaving less time for the stuff that’s really important – you and your family.

A professional organizer holds you accountable, keeps you on track, and shortens the amount of time it takes to accomplish your organizing goals.

We’ve tried DIY organizing. It isn’t working.

Almost all the women I work with have tried to organize their home on their own – without outside help. If that’s true for you too, perhaps ask one or more of the following questions to help your guy understand the emotional magnitude of the problem. Sometimes women are trying so hard to be superwomen that the men around them often don’t know how frustrated they are. You might ask:

“How many times have I tried to get our home organized?”

“When and how will this get done if I don’t get the help I need?”

“Do you want to continue to live like this?” or “Aren’t you tired of living like this?”

We waste time and emotional energy when our home isn’t organized.

Organizing is a fantastic investment in your marriage. When you feel organized and on top of her household it leaves you more time to invest in your family. Instead of dealing with the mounting frustration of digging for missing tennis shoes, that wrench you can’t seem to put your hand on, or that elusive thumb drive, you’re outside playing in the yard or heading to a friend’s house for a barbeque and a fun afternoon watching the big game.

Having an organized home improves your quality of life, reduces stress, eliminates wasted time, and allows your energy to go where it’s most beneficial – to your husband and family. An organized home usually means a happier spouse, and a happier family (oh – and happier pets too!).

And who doesn’t want a peaceful and happy marriage and a joyful life?

One of my clients in Waco, TX shared this message with me after I helped him and his wife... maybe you find yourself in their situation of needing more peace.

"Since Holly came, we have cleared out our house. We have downsized that one specific room and have sold things quicker. We took different tips from Holly such as different spouses having our own work-spaces. Doing things like this has allowed us to not feel like pack-rats or hoarders anymore, but to have a more peaceful environment which is really a reflection of our marriage as we are maintaining the peace there. Thank you Holly!"

​We’ll talk in the future about strategies for the husband who is happy to have you hire an organizer, but just isn’t ready to be part of the process.

Are you ready to get started on YOU? Please contact mefor a free consultation phone call.​

Waco Home Organizers

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​I met Holly today and I am still just in awe about my experience with her! She created such a safe place for me to go through my old belongings and help me downsize old things of my grandmother's--who passed away in April. I was so stressed about all of these things my family, more or less, "dumped" on me. I felt guilty throwing it away, but knew it needed to be gone.

I'm so happy she was the person I was able to experience this transformation with. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew I needed it. If you are nervous about having someone help you in an endeavor like this--look no further and hire Holly.She is a god-send.

​Holly--thank you SO much for your hard work and help today. You are such a sweet woman, who is truly helping others find happiness in their homes.

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Holly was so patient. I'm thankful she came to help clean out my closet. I would have never done it by myself. I felt like a hoarder.

Holly encouraged and reassured me. She helped me make hard decisions to let things go that I know I needed to let go. She took a car load to donate. I feel so much lighter.

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Holly came to help bring organization to our garage. It had become a dumping ground. She worked steadily and listened to my goals and concerns.

​She helped me think through what I really wanted to accomplish and respected my wishes. She has a knack for arranging to make the best use of space while also making it look attractive.

With her encouragement I continued to declutter even after she left. God has used Holly to inspire me with my home organization. It is so liberating to see order and calm replace the chaos!

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Holly not only looks at the clutter of your life but she looks at you, the whole person.

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Holly is a GEM!! I had recently gotten married and moved into my husband's bachelor-pad apartment. It felt like such a huge, overwhelming task toorganize, sort through, and redecorate on a budget.Holly swooped in and saved the day!

​She took the time to learn my style, and with her organizing/ decorating/ crafting/ bargain-hunting expertise, truly transformed every space in our apartment into a beautiful new home within two short days. I was amazed! We had a blast and she is an absolute joy to work with! I cannot recommend her highly enough!

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Holly is brilliant at what she does. She thinks and works strategically so that within minutes you're on your way toward reclaiming a calm, orderly, lovely environment.

​I would recommend her in a heartbeat.

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​I was completely overwhelmed on where to begin. I had items that needed to be sold, thrown away, and packed. Holly came in, listened to my needs and gave me practical steps to get things done.

It made the process much more manageable and less overwhelming. Holly brought wisdom and order into my very chaotic circumstances and gave me vision and a plan. That, in itself, was PRICELESS!

I love that she generously shares her tools and her "out of the box" thinking to suit ANY need.

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Holly came to my house and performed miracles in the closets!!

Get her in your space soon!

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Holly helped me sift, sort & organize my house to make room for my daughter & her family to move in until their own house was ready. I am quite disorganized, I must admit. Holly asked good questions to help me decide what to keep & what to eliminate.

She has a calm demeanor & a non - judgmental manner. These attributes helped me feel comfortable progressing through my clutter. I truly appreciate her help.

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​She takes on the challenge while making sure the job is completed to your own personal needs and desires, sometimes intuitively so.

I wish I could pack her in a pretty, lace-covered box and bring her with me every time I move. She brings beauty and order to my jumbled, scattered existence!

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I hired Holly to help me organize my closet and garage. She helped by establishing zones for like items. Holly is a gifted and patient organizer.

Her thoughtful questions helped me make decisions and take action to sell or donate items.

​She is able to provide solutions and recommendations to make the difficulty easier. I would recommend Holly; I know she can help you with your organizing needs.

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We had Holly come to help usorganize our house in order to make a move. We were feeling overwhelmed by the task and were under a fast approaching deadline to have our stuff moved out. Holly quickly came into the situation, assessed where we were, and what needed to happen to get us out the door in time.

She came up with a systematic approach to organizing and packing that not only got us out of the house with time to spare, she also made it incredibly easy to set up our new home. Holly definitely brought a great attitude to the situation that made us feel like we could accomplish what felt like a monumental task.

She literally organized and packed our entire house in a matter of no time and she did it with a smile! Cannot recommend her more highly.​

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​​You accomplished in 2 hours what I couldn't in 25 years.

[My husband] said you were surprisingly nurturing about making a difficult task do-able, and that you were no-nonsense.

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"I called on Holly's organizational expertise to help me furnish a home we are using as a bed and breakfast! I was overwhelmed with the long list of items to buy and knowing what all was truly needed.

She created a list of things needed as well as places to shop for various items online and in the stores that saved us so much money in the end (and time)! She even sourced out a great couch!

I was thankful for her to put all my ideas to paper of what I was wanting! She added to it her own ideas and experience. So far the guests have been raving about their stay!"​